Parque del Retiro

Parque del Retiro or Parque del Buen Retiro, is a park of 1.18 Km2 located in the centre of the Madrid; in fact, it is completely surrounded by the city. It is an open area full of natural landscapes as well as several important buildings and beautiful sculptures and monuments too. It is the perfect place to relax and forget about the stressful life in the city. Concerts, puppet shows and book fairs are organized there.

The land of the park was given as a present to the king Felipe IV by the Duke Gaspar de Guzman y Pimentel, in 1630. This land was used as a place of relaxation for the royal family. In the next century, several edifications were constructed; unfortunately, some of them were destroyed during the French invasion in 1808. During his reign, Fernando VII ordered the park’s reconstruction and opened a part of it to the people of the city. Years later, in 1868, it was entirely available to citizens.

The most visited places in the park are:

Paseo de las Estatuas, Puerta de España or Puerta de Mariana de Neoburgo, Museo del Ejercito, La Rosaleda, Monumento a Alfonso XII, Estanque de las campanillas, Fuente de los Galapagos, Casita del Pescador, Estatua del Angel Caido, Palacio de Crista, Palacio de Velasquez, to mention only a few. There’s a lot to see in El Parque del Retiro that it may take you more than a day if you do not want to miss all the amazing things that reside around this park.